Excerpted from the 2024 NCI Hi-Performance HVAC Today November Edition
The High-Performance HVAC Industry gathered in Asheville, NC for Summit 2024 on September 10 through 16 to regroup, recharge, and set the stage to Outperform in their marketplaces in 2025. What does this mean? It means contractors and other industry professionals go together from all across North America to learn how to apply technical knowledge and training to improve the safety, health, comfort, and energy efficiency of your customers’ homes.
Outperform was the theme for Summit 2024 and is the mission of National Comfort Institute (NCI). NCI CEO, Dominick Guarino, told the record-breaking audience during the event’s opening general session, “Our mission is to help you implement high performance in a step-by-step, easy to follow method.
“This year we have created an experience that includes peer-to-peer interactions, questions, learning opportunities, and sharing with fellow like-minded contractors,” he said. “Here you will brainstorm new ideas with peers, relax in a truly productive environment, and gain valuable knowledge from all of the comprehensive workshops and general sessions.”
Changes Are Coming
from NCI’s High-Performance HVAC Summit.
Changes in the HVAC industry are happening faster than ever before. Electrification, heat pumps, inverter technology, new refrigerants, and new efficiency standards are just a few of the challenges and opportunities in front of us.
The key is to be prepared, proactive, and educate your team to meet the new opportunities head-on.
This ties directly into the Summit 2024’s Outperform theme. Among the many breakout workshops were special sessions covering the new heat pump technology, the new refrigerants, and what changes in terms of comfort, installation, and service. It also changes how High-Performance HVAC™ contractors test, measure, and diagnose comfort issues for their customers.
Breakout Sessions for the Next Level of Success
This year’s breakouts were presented by both high-performance contractors as well NCI instructors and included the following:
- How to Build a High-Performance Culture in Your HVAC Business — Presented by John Boylan, General Manager, Lakeside Service, Brighton MI
- Anatomy of the High-Performance Sales Process – Presented by Dawn Mroczek, Sales Manager, GV’s Heating & Air, Glenview, IL
- High-Performance HVAC Renovations from Start to Finish – Presented by Dustin Cole, Owner, Cole Air, Inc., Lake Charles, LA
- How to Take Combustion Testing to the Next Level – Presented by NCI Instructor Mark Hunt
- The Sweet Spot: Where Building Science and HVAC Intersect – Presented by Rob Minnick, NCI Instructor
- Customer Communication: Drop the Technospeak — Presented by Chuck Worley, Worley Home Services, Yorktown, VA
- Climate Resilient Heat Pump Strategies – Presented by Ben Lipscomb, NCI Director of Engineering and Utility Programs
- How To Solve the Top 10 Inverter Installation Issues – Presented by Bryan Orr, President, Kalos Services and HVAC School
- How to Properly Design with Today’s Heat Pumps – Presented by Adam Mufich, NCI instructor
- The Air Upgrade Cure: A Simple Solution to HVAC Equipment Failures – Presented by David Richardson, NCI VP of Training
- PerformanceTown – Take Your Testing Accuracy to the Next Level – Taught by the NCI Instructor Team.
“This is my first Summit experience,” says Anthony Woo of Climatisation ACG, Inc. of Montreal, Canada. “My main reason for being here was to learn more abut indoor air quality from John Ellis, but then I started meeting all these people who think the way I do.
“I was really impressed with Dawn Mroczek’s class on high-performance sales. And the networking — I absolutely love meeting so many different people from both Canada and the U.S. They are all so willing to share ideas and experiences.”
Summit Firsts
Summit 2024 marked the largest in attendance ever. With more than 200 attendees, 30% of which were first timers, shows that the high-performance approach is moving into its second generation, according to NCI CEO Dominick Guarino.
More than 200 attendees were welcomed to Summit by NCI CEO Dominick Guarino. 
Dominick Guarino This is also the first Summit where HVAC Industry social media influencers attended AND conducted live streaming and podcasts throughout the event.
One influencer, Bryan Orr, was also the keynote speaker and an instructor in the inverter breakout session.
His keynote focused on how to get and keep great people on your team. He discussed recruiting the right
people and keeping them engaged and fulfilled so they stay with your team.Back to the influencers, some of those who participated in the live stream and podcast events included:
- John Ellis from Dynamic Air Consulting Services
- Louise Keller of UEI
- Jim Bergman from measureQuick®
- Brian Orr from Kalos Services
- Steve Rogers from The Energy Conservatory and others.
Dominick Guarino recognizes those technicians and contractors
who won scholarships to attend the 2024 Summit.Contractor attendee Tom Hearn of Hearn Plumbing and Heating, Madison, OH, says that Summit is a place where he and his team come to learn what is new in the industry as well as to recharge their “batteries.”
“The industry needs to pay attention to the concepts of high performance as NCI teaches them,” he says.
“They do a phenomenal job at setting the standard of how HVAC equipment should be installed in someone’s home. Coming to Summit helps you understand what the standard should be for every homeowner and company across the country,” Hearn adds.
PerformanceTown
As has been the NCI tradition for many years, Summit 2024 included hands-on testing experience on several working HVAC systems to help attendees learn more about delivering high performance through diagnostics.
NCI’s John Puryear, Casey Contreras, and measureQuick’s Jim Bergman guided participants through testing principles, instruments, mobile apps, and processes to help attendees discover the hidden defects impeding system performance.
The Idea Meeting
Contractors convened for the famous contractors-only Idea Meeting hosted by Chuck Worley of Worley’s Home Services, Yorktown, VA, and Mike Weil of NCI. This meeting consisted of two one-hour sessions: one dedicated to High-Performance Lead Generation and the other to Sales.
Attendees presented their ideas on each topic and then voted for those they felt were the best. The winning ideas were from:
— Lead Generation: Nick Lupo of Control Point Mechanical, Shrewsbury, MA, won for his customer lunch and learn focused on the new heat pump technologies.
— Sales: Creating a product demonstration kit for use at home shows and on sales calls won in this category. Will Horner of Canco ClimateCare, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, won the cash prize.
Partner Trade Show
Nineteen partner exhibitors managed tabletop displays around the general session ballroom so contractors could talk with them during breaks and regularly scheduled tradeshow hours.
Exhibitors also participated in NCI’s Annual Preferred Partner Prize Drawing. Attendees received “game cards” that had to be stickered by each exhibitor and then turned in to be eligible for the drawing.
This year’s exhibitors included the following:
The contractor attendees were focused on learning from
all the vendor partners during the 2024
NCI Summit in Asheville, TN.- Arzel Zoning
- Baker Distributing
- Conduit Tech
- Daikin
- Duct Saddles
- Evergreen Telemetry
- Fieldpiece
- MeasureQuick
- MSA Bacharach
- National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association (NCOAA)
- Online Access
- RE Michel
- RectorSeal/DustFree
- Sauermann
- Testo
- The Energy Conservatory
- TruTech Tools
- TSI
- UEI Test Instruments.
Annual Awards Banquet
No NCI HVAC Summit would be complete without the Annual Awards Banquet, where NCI recognizes outstanding achievements by High-Performance HVAC contractors across North America.
Dominick Guarino told attendees, “Tonight’s event is one of my favorite parts of every Summit. It’s an opportunity for us to shine a bright light on the real heroes of this group – our amazing Award Winners.
“More than just members and customers, you are the heart and soul of this great NCI family,” he continued.
“Your success is what keeps us going. And we feel so blessed that you’ve chosen to become part of this caring group that continues to selflessly share what is working for you and mentor each other.”
This year’s awards were presented to the following:
- Small Contractor of the Year — Southeast Clean Air Solutions, Henrico, VA
- Medium Contractor of the Year — Cole Air, Lake Charles, LA
- Large Contractor of the Year — Worley’s Home Services, Yorktown, VA
- John Garofalo Implementation Excellence Award — Vincent’s Heating & Plumbing, Port Huron, MI
- Jim Davis Technical Excellence Award — Henry Sterling of DiMarco & Associates, Chagrin Falls, OH
- Rob Falke Servant Leadership Award — John Boylan, Lakeside Service Co., Brighton, MI
- Scott Johnson Training Excellence Award — Davis Services, Spartanburg, SC
- Spirit of Excellence Award — Tom Johnson, TM Johnson Brothers, Grandy, MN
- Sales Excellence Award — Hunter Wallace, Progressive Heating & Air, Newnan, GA
- Vendor Partner of the Year Award — The Energy Conservatory, Oakdale, MN
- The NCI 2024 Chairman’s Award — Nancy McKeraghan, Canco ClimateCare, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.
More details on each of these awards can be found on our website at ncilink.com/2024SummitAwards.
David Debien Award Renamed
For 17 years the Technical Excellence Award was named for David Debien, an HVAC contractor from Houston, TX who resisted popular industry trends with regard to high SEER cooling systems — in his climate, they simply didn’t work.
Instead, he designed and built his own custom systems to handle the Houston area humidity. Then his team tested and verified their operation. His dedication to advancing the industry and questioning popular trends embodied the heart and soul of this award.
But this year it was time for a change. Says David Richardson, NCI’s vice president of curriculum development and the very first Debien Award recipient, “For Summit 2024 and beyond, we decided to rename this award in honor of another industry pioneer, our very own Jim Davis, a man who has saved more lives than we’ll ever know.
“Jim is the pioneer and daddy of modern day carbon monoxide and combustion safety training. In his honor, the David Debien Technical Excellence Award is now the Jim Davis Technical Excellence Award.”
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners.
Next Year in Austin, TX
Mark your calendars for the High-Performance HVAC Summit 2025. It will be held in Austin, TX, from September 9th through the 12th. We will have more information posted on GoToSummit.com.
Stay tuned for more information on pricing and registration.
